Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tijuana and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Tijuana: $1,303 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Tijuana
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Tijuana Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Tijuana

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,303

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tijuana and in Montreal

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Tijuana and in Montreal actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,303 per month in Tijuana vs $2,003 in Montreal, rent included.

Tijuana $1,303
Montreal $2,003

A couple spends around $2,067 per month in Tijuana vs $3,048 in Montreal, rent included.

Tijuana $2,067
Montreal $3,048

A family of three spends $2,831 per month in Tijuana vs $4,092 in Montreal, rent included.

Tijuana $2,831
Montreal $4,092

Tijuana is about 35% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Tijuana sits 3% below the global median, while Montreal is 49% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.98 MX$220

$19.31 CA$27.52

-37.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.25 MX$647

$75.5 CA$108

-53.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.69 MX$178

$10.63 CA$15.15

-8.84%

Cappuccino

$4.34 MX$79.7

$3.93 CA$5.60

10.43%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 MX$26.15

$1.92 CA$2.73

-26.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.33

$1.48 CA$2.11

-17.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 MX$61.8

$6.30 CA$8.98

-46.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.51 MX$119

$7.19 CA$10.24

-9.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 MX$32.63

$2.22 CA$3.17

-19.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 MX$52.8

$3.06 CA$4.36

-6.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 MX$33.14

$2.94 CA$4.19

-38.44%

Eggs

$3.25 MX$59.7

$3.53 CA$5.03

-7.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.15 MX$150

$13.19 CA$18.79

-38.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.55 MX$139

$11.24 CA$16.02

-32.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.06 MX$221

$13.81 CA$19.69

-12.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 MX$52.8

$3.40 CA$4.85

-15.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 MX$30.76

$1.44 CA$2.06

16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 MX$34.79

$3.26 CA$4.65

-41.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.60

$2.88 CA$4.10

-42.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 MX$29.23

$1.86 CA$2.65

-14.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.42

$1.82 CA$2.60

2.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$27.85

$2.43 CA$3.46

-37.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$18.91

$1.52 CA$2.17

-32.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 MX$81.1

$11.45 CA$16.32

-61.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.24 MX$151

$10.36 CA$14.76

-20.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 MX$39.91

$2.22 CA$3.16

-2.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 MX$75.5

$2.82 CA$4.02

45.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 MX$20.74

$2.58 CA$3.67

-56.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.84 MX$566

$76.9 CA$110

-59.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.84 MX$52.1

$3.25 CA$4.64

-12.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 MX$41.44

$1.48 CA$2.11

52.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.42 MX$357

$33.04 CA$47.09

-41.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$1.36 CA$1.94

13.24%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.5K MX$395.2K

$27.4K CA$39.1K

-21.52%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$24.7K MX$453.8K

$20.0K CA$28.5K

23.74%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$46.78 MX$859

$76.1 CA$109

-38.54%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$34.62 MX$636

$34.68 CA$49.43

-0.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.93 MX$550

$42.69 CA$60.9

-29.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.13 MX$755

$28.94 CA$41.26

42.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.05 MX$148

$20.33 CA$28.97

-60.40%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 MX$127

$11.21 CA$15.98

-38.36%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$209 MX$3,839

$505 CA$720

-58.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,606 MX$84.6K

$16.0K CA$22.8K

-71.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 MX$997

$58.5 CA$83.4

-7.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 MX$863

$38.00 CA$54.2

23.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 MX$1,903

$92.7 CA$132

11.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.0 MX$1,286

$106 CA$151

-33.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$868 MX$15.9K

$1,240 CA$1,768

-30.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$481 MX$8,827

$986 CA$1,405

-51.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,553 MX$28.5K

$2,102 CA$2,996

-26.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$905 MX$16.6K

$1,615 CA$2,302

-43.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 MX$56.8K

$5,043 CA$7,188

-38.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,713 MX$49.8K

$3,830 CA$5,459

-29.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$951 MX$17.5K

$2,920 CA$4,163

-67.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.07

4.46

170.63%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Tijuana: October 4, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Tijuana

$481 36.8%

Montreal

$986 47.9% 105% $505

Groceries & Markets

Tijuana

$268 20.5%

Montreal

$344 16.7% 28.2% $76

Eating Out

Tijuana

$217 16.7%

Montreal

$293 14.2% 34.7% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Tijuana

$124 9.5%

Montreal

$133 6.5% 7.3% $9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tijuana

$111 8.5%

Montreal

$154 7.5% 37.9% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Tijuana

$55 4.2%

Montreal

$51 2.5% 6.5% $3.6

Getting Around

Tijuana

$49 3.8%

Montreal

$98 4.8% 97.8% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $868 in Tijuana versus $1,240 in Montreal. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 207% higher in Montreal, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Tijuana versus $75.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $344 – making Tijuana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Tijuana

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

00:15 12:15 AM

03:15 3:15 AM

3 h ahead of Tijuana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,810,645

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tijuana Montreal 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Tijuana
Montreal

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Tijuana vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 54% more than Tijuana, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,955 per month in Tijuana and $3,005 in Montreal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tijuana, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Montreal, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Tijuana and $75.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tijuana, where all-in costs run around $1,303, than in Montreal at $2,003. In Tijuana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Tijuana costs $1,303 versus $2,003 in Montreal. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Tijuana. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montreal makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.